1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to golfing aides and, more specifically, to a Hole-aligning Putter.
2. Description of Related Art
Golf and related training aides are now available in an infinite variety and to cure any number of problems with a person's game, and/or to simply improve a person's proficiency. One particular area of focus has historically been the putting game, because many golfers believe that games or won or lost on the putting green. In addressing the problems associated with putting, the golf equipment industry has made many different products available, including special clubs, clothing, aiming tools, and many others.
Virtually every putter made includes one or more alignment lines or indicia inscribed or otherwise displayed on them. These marks are provided to assist the golfer in aligning the club face with the ball and with the cup. Other devices even provide assistance with the golfer's stance or address of the ball. One prior putter having such alignment marks is shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a top view of a prior art putter. The putter 10 of FIG. 1 is the putter disclosed in Evans U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,622 known as the standing putter. The putter 10 has a club head 12 that is configured to provide the golfer with alignment assistance in aligning the ball with the cup. In fact, the head 12 has a first alignment mark 14A provided on the far left side of the head 12; a second alignment mark 14B provided on the far right hand side of the head 12, as well as third and fourth alignment marks 14C and 14D located near the center of the head 12. There is further a center alignment mark to aid the golfer in aligning the head to the ball itself.
The space between the third and the fourth alignment marks 14C and 14D is disclosed as the GB or the diameter of a golf ball 18. The distance between the first and second alignment marks 14A and 14B is disclosed as being the BDZ 16 or ball drop zone. The ball drop zone is defined by Evans as being that zone within which the ball will drop into the cup if the ball arrives at the cup within the zone. As shown here, the width of the ball drop zone 16 is the diameter of the cup profile 20 plus two times slightly less than the diameter of a ball profile 22. The idea being that if the ball arrives at the edge of the cup, but with the center of the ball over the edge of the cup, then the ball will drop into the cup.
The problem with the Evans putter 10 is that the ball drop zone 16 is simply too wide to provide the golfer with an accurate representation of his or her target. The inventor fears that if the golfer is seeking to position the ball over the lip of the cup, normal error will result in a ball not dropping into the cup and therefore a missed put. If we now turn to FIG. 2, we can examine yet another prior art putter.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art putter. FIG. 2 depicts the prior golf club alignment aid known as the two ball head 11 made by Calloway Golf™. The two ball head 11 has a club head 13 defined by face 15 and a top surface 17. Top surface 17 has a first ball imagine 19 and a second ball image 21 cut into it in planer alignment with the alignment line 23. Generally speaking, the alignment line 23 is an imaginary line that extends perpendicular to the face 15, and is assumed to be the direction which a ball 25 will travel if it is struck with the face 15.
To use the two ball club 11, the user simply aligns the first and second ball images 19 and 21, respectively, with the actual ball 25 so that the alignment line 23 is created by connecting the centers of the two images 19 and 21 and the ball 25. By doing so, that inventor believes that the golfer is both aligning the center of the face horizontally with the ball 25, as well as aligning the club face 15 with the hole.
The two ball club head 11 has achieved a moderate level of success with amateur golfers. The problem with the two ball head 11 is that it fails to inspire in the golfer the confidence to align the ball with the cup. What is needed is an improved putter head design that provides the golfer with an alignment tool that does show the size difference between the cup and the ball 25 in order to inspire this confidence without inspiring the overconfidence believed to be expected using the Evans putter.